England ready to call for Surrey wicketkeeper Ben Foakes to cover injured Jonny Bairstow

England are set to fly Surrey’s Ben Foakes to Sri Lanka as wicketkeeping cover with Jonny Bairstow highly unlikely to be fit for the First Test in Galle next month.

Having missed Saturday’s Fourth ODI, Bairstow has been ruled out of the remainder of the white-ball leg of the tour — tomorrow’s final ODI and Saturday’s one-off T20 — with ankle ligament damage picked up playing football in a training session on Friday.

It has left him facing a battle to be fit for the Test series, which begins in on November 6. Even if he were to recover in time to make that match, it would be without any build-up, as England play two two-day warm-ups next week. The good news, though, is the protective boot he has been wearing is now gone.

In Bairstow’s absence, Jos Buttler could take the gloves (Ollie Pope is also an occasional wicketkeeper), but England are ready to send for Surrey man Foakes.

He impressed the management as Bairstow’s understudy in Australia and New Zealand last winter, but is not going on next month’s Lions tour as he was due some time off after a relentless cycle of cricket.

England did receive some encouraging news for the series, however, with the announcement that the great left-arm spinner Rangana Herath will retire after the First Test.

The 40-year-old had planned to play the whole series, but will call it a day at the iconic ground in Galle where he made his debut 19 years ago. He is one wicket shy of 100 at the venue, and has 430 overall — tenth on the all-time Test list.

Kapil Dev, in seventh place, is just four wickets in front of him. No left-arm bowler of any type has more wickets than Herath, and no one has more Test wickets following their 30th birthday. In first-class cricket, he has 1,068 wickets. Herath’s absence from the second and third Tests (at Kandy and Colombo, respectively) represents a huge boost for England, who are set for a trial by spin on turning wickets. He is one of five spinners in Sri Lanka’s squad.

Meanwhile, Bairstow’s injury means Alex Hales is set to keep his place at the top of the order tomorrow, but England will make changes.

Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett will come in for Chris Woakes and Olly Stone, while Sam Curran and Joe Denly, who last played international cricket nine years ago, could play too. Captain Eoin Morgan was even said to be considering whether to drop himself tomorrow, to give fringe players more time in the middle.

After tomorrow’s day-night match, which does have a reserve day to cover rain, England have just five matches before they name their squad for the World Cup on April 23, meaning chances to impress for the likes of Wood are running out.